Few Canadians could use naloxone to stop an overdose: StatsCan

Deborah Buchanan displays the naloxone kit she received after learning how to respond to an overdose during a community meeting in Kitsilano, in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday November 13, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

About a quarter of Canadian adults say they would recognize the signs of an opioid overdose, but only seven per cent say they know how to obtain naloxone and use it to prevent a fatal overdose, according to a new study released Tuesday.

Naloxone is a lifesaving drug that can reverse otherwise fatal opioid overdoses. Most Canadians surveyed said they have at least some level of awareness of Canada’s opioid crisis and 91.8 per cent of respondents said they would dial 911 if they suspected someone was overdosing.

The data come from Statistics Canada’s Survey on Opioid Awareness, conducted over the last two months of 2017. The numbers were drawn from an initial survey sample of 10,000 dwellings across Canada.

The statistics agency said that most Canadian adults — eight in 10 — are “very aware” that “problematic use of opioids can lead to overdose or death.”

Just over three-quarters of Canadian adults said they are “very” or “somewhat” aware of the country’s opioid crisis, varying by region. B.C. residents were the most aware; Quebec residents were the least aware.

Canada’s opioid crisis, fuelled by the illicit use of fentanyl, has been getting worse in recent months, according to government monitoring.

There were some 2,861 opioid-related deaths in Canada in 2016, according to Public Health Agency of Canada.

Public health officials warned late last year that the opioid death toll for 2017 could top 4,000 in Canada.

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1 comment on “Few Canadians could use naloxone to stop an overdose: StatsCan”

According to this story: There were some 2,861 opioid-related deaths in Canada in 2016, according to Public Health Agency of Canada. Public health officials warned late last year that the opioid death toll for 2017 could top 4,000 in Canada.

Compare this to the 2,996 deaths in the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.

I think we should look at it this way: Canada is under deadly attack by narco-terrorists.
This is a war. Wars are not won by being nice and polite. At one time, long, long ago, Singapore was in a similar war. Narcotics are not much of a problem in Singapore now.

So how did Singapore win its drug war? Canada should copy Singapore policy as regards hard drugs. Remember this, no one starts on hard drugs. Alcohol is the gateway to marijuana which is the gateway to hard drugs. Don’t do alcohol and don’t do drugs and you will not die from their effects.